In the middle of a tranquil, oriental-style room, Ha Seung-hoon, also known as Hugo, was meditating with his eyes closed and his breathing steady.
In his mind, countless concepts of martial arts were swirling around, repeatedly deconstructing and re-establishing the martial arts he had accumulated so far.
'This is incredible, isn't it?'
After the process came to a certain conclusion, he slowly steadied his breathing and let out an involuntary gasp of admiration.
'In a way, this is the perfect prescription for me right now.'
He roughly sorted the swirling knowledge in his mind and slowly opened his eyes. He wanted to absorb all of it and make it his own right away, but it was an impossible feat because of the sheer volume of martial arts knowledge circulating in his mind. Not only that, but while his own understanding of martial arts was limited to what he, "Ha Seung-hoon," knew, this knowledge was so esoteric that a few days would not be enough to master it, no matter how much he rushed.
"The Black Dragon Secret Book..."
It was a proof of loyalty that Heinz II had received from the leader of the Black Dragon Society, the Black Dragon Lord, and it was also the name of a secret book that boasted of containing the essence of all martial arts from the Murim worlds.
Of course, although it was called a secret book, it wasn't in the form of a book. In fact, it wasn't even something with a physical form. It was just a complete transfer of all the information from a skill the Black Dragon Lord had, which allowed him to record and manage "all the martial arts he knew."
'He's certainly not an ordinary person. I guess it goes without saying that he achieved a great feat on Earth and even got a special privilege.'
His title was even "Heaven's Rebel"— a being that defied the will of heaven—it was an alias that was obviously not on a mediocre level.
'He was a former branch director of the Heaven-Turn Society, where countless strong people who were not known to the public were bustling. It's not like their inscrutable leader would have put some random person in such an important position. Since the early Heaven-Turn Society's top priority was to swallow up China, the position that oversaw that area would have been a coveted one.'
The Black Dragon Secret Book was no different from a diary of the Black Dragon Lord's personal insights, which he had been writing since he returned to Earth, constantly revising and improving it for over two decades.
It was proof that even after he had achieved the special privilege of "Heaven's Rebel" through his endless pursuit, and even after he had used it to escape the Heaven-Turn Society and hide his existence, he had not neglected his martial arts research.
'It's not just a description of the martial arts of a few dimensions. It's a kind of research journal that details everything from the thoughts he had and the efforts he made to reach the Hyun-kyung realm to what he thought was necessary to reach the Deity realm afterward. At this point, I'm more curious about how he managed to get so much information while avoiding the Heaven-Turn Society.'
I had heard a rough explanation. I learned how he interacted and shared knowledge with masters who had returned from various Murim worlds. The Black Dragon Lord didn't care if the person was far below his level, as long as they had something new. He would also do anything to get it. He would accept most of the other person's demands, even if they requested an immense fortune, a dangerous mission, or a portion of the martial arts he had collected. He would even resort to using force against those he couldn't reason with.
'He also continuously recruited talented people into the Black Dragon Society during that process. Besides, it was understandable for him to crave new martial arts knowledge since he was still hungry for growth.'
No matter how great he was, he couldn't surpass a long history of hundreds or thousands of years on his own. In the Murim worlds, martial arts were the pinnacle of mysticism that had been passed down for a long time and had been continuously developed by countless geniuses. What he had done was to adjust and combine those brilliant legacies to make them useful for himself;
he had never created anything new from scratch.
'Of course, that alone would be more than enough to call him a Grandmaster.'
Naturally, his research results were not something anyone could fully accept.
Except for the early research, most of his results were based on the existence of "Heaven's Rebel," which twisted the laws of the world. Since the subtle and unique principles were complicatedly intertwined, a normal martial artist who followed them would only go mad and become a cripple.
'But not me. Khahaha!'
He chuckled softly and slowly got up from his seat. A dull pain spread through his entire body, but he didn't mind. If the Black Dragon Lord had "Heaven's Rebel," which twisted the laws of the world, he had the "Savior," which ignored all restrictions of other dimensions.
Whooong—
The internal energy rampaging through his body gradually stabilized. Along with that, some of the martial principles that didn't fit the logic of the Ganghwan-gye world slowly began to settle inside his body.
'It's not perfect yet, but...'
Now that he had found the path and the method he had to take, it was only a matter of time. He took a deep breath, opened the door, and stepped outside.
'I've seen the wall.
all that's left...
—is to cross it.'
The brilliant sunlight pierced his eyelids. He had been meditating since early in the morning, and the sun had already risen high in the sky, scattering its bright light all over the world. Unlike before, when the atmosphere was dreary all year round, the sky was now clear and blue without a single cloud.
"Oh! Brother! You're out?"
At that moment, Namgung Soran, who had been squatting in the yard in front of the door, turned her head and smiled brightly. She was holding a long foxtail stalk in her hand and swaying it back and forth.
While she was distracted for a moment, the two small animals that had been crouched in front of her, staring at the tip of the swaying stalk, darted forward like lightning and snatched it away. They then happily purred and chewed on the stalk with their tiny mouths, as if proud of their victory. They looked like ordinary kittens, but they were not just cats. After all, an ordinary cat's entire body would not be made of... fire or shadow.
"Did you rest well, Miss Namgung?"
"Oh, don't be so formal. Please speak comfortably, Brother. I'm younger than you."
"Hahaha, I'll change that slowly. But where is Miss Jeongal...?"
"Sister went outside in a hurry, saying she had something to ask the Taoist masters. She was very excited."
"Ah, right. This place is one of the two main arteries of Sorcery, just like the Jeongal family."
Namgung Soran threw the completely charred foxtail stalk to the side, took out a new one, and swayed it again. In response, the two yokai cats got up and took a hunting stance.
Of course, the cats weren't the only yokai here.
"By the way, this place is really... It just feels like a completely different world. It's like something out of a fairy tale."
Namgung Soran clicked her tongue and looked around. She could see various yokai freely walking around beyond the guest area where they were staying. From beast-headed humanoids to entirely inhuman creatures, all sorts of beings were walking around freely and noisily.
"Well, this place is like a gateway or a buffer zone for them to the outside world. It would be good for those who haven't experienced the outside world yet to gradually get to know the world from here."
This place was Moshan Clan, located in Jiangsu Province in eastern China.
It was the first destination for their journey and the base of the yokai who had started to show themselves to the world in earnest after the final war against the Cult of Evil.
"Haa, yokai. I haven't even imagined them since I was a child. It's kind of amazing."
"As you know, you have to be careful when you're with them. If any friction arises at a time like this, the peace we just regained might be shaken."
"Of course! I was just a little nervous, so don't worry."
Of course, a small mistake wouldn't matter much. Since his reputation as the Heavenly Dragon Swordsman, which he had earned from his activities in the war, allowed the group to be treated as guests, it was clear that they were on friendly terms.
'Still, it would be best to minimize any conflict as much as possible, considering the goal I came here for.'
Ha Seung-hoon's journey was for two main purposes. The first was to stabilize the world by eliminating the impure elements that were still causing trouble without realizing that the world had changed. The second was to find a clue to break through the wall of the Hyun-kyung realm by honing his own skills.
His visit to Moshan Clan was related to the second goal.
'The yokai's martial arts that I encountered through Mok In-gwang before...
They might be helpful in breaking through the wall of Hyun-kyung.'
Of course, he had now obtained the unexpected guidebook, the Black Dragon Secret Book, but the more possibilities there were, the better. That way, he could choose the best method from a variety of options, and he could also combine the advantages of both to bring about a better result.
'I'm a hero who is also known in the Golden island sect... So if I request a friendly sparring match for the sake of cultural exchange...'
But things did not go as he had planned. A person who had been running at high speed from the other side collapsed in front of him. A pale-faced woman with blood flowing from her mouth.
She was one of the secret martial artists who had been assigned as a bodyguard to Jeongal Hyemi.
"G-Great Swordsman! There's a big problem! The young lady...!"
To be more precise, he had momentarily forgotten the fact that troublemakers weren't just on one side.
With a height of over 5 meters, a body like a bipedal tiger, a long tail, a mouth with no lips, and sharp teeth with a pair of protruding tusks like a wild boar, Dool exuded an overwhelming aura that matched his monstrous appearance. He lightly swung his hand, sending the last Taoist master flying, and a satisfied smile spread across his face. He grabbed Jeongal Hyemi, who was looking up at him with a stiff face, with his large hand.
'I'm lucky! I never thought I'd see a child of the dragon here! And the one with the highest rank among them!'
Dool was a former great yokai of the anti-Golden Crow island faction who had fled to the shadows of the Golden island sect after losing his brothers, who were called the "Four Evils" with him, to the uprising of the demonic cult.
Of course, even though he was in such a state, there were not many who could treat a great yokai like him without respect.
The Golden island sect had also suffered great damage from the war, so the joining of a great power like him was a welcome addition.
As expected, he had built a reputation for himself by playing an active role against the demonic cult.
But that was only until peace returned.
After the final war ended, Dool became a useless troublemaker. His nature was at the very end of evil, and in a time of peace, he was nothing more than a being who constantly caused trouble. The only saving grace was that during the time of chaos, he had a clear purpose for his power and didn't have to deal with the stress of pent-up desires. But now, he was just a troublemaker who caused problems without being of any help.
The leaders of the Golden island sect were even seriously considering sealing him up.
And it was impossible for Dool, who had survived until now with his ghostly intuition, not to notice this change in the atmosphere.
'Do you think I'll be caught so easily!'
However, it seemed difficult to escape on his own. Even if he had the power to crush any Hyun-kyung master, numbers always trumped individual strength. In such a situation, facing a child of the dragon, who was a messenger of the Dragon God and one of the pillars of the world's salvation, was a great opportunity for him.
'The child of the dragon is the key to saving this world. If I use such a great being as a burnt offering!'
Thus, it was not strange that his thought process was exactly the same as the demonic cult members.
Dool, who now had the same look in his eyes as the ones he had killed countless times, grabbed Jeongal Hyemi with his large hand and took off.
He wanted to eat her right there, but to maintain a clear consciousness, he needed to follow a certain procedure, even if it was a simplified one.
"Kroook! With this, I'm free! Let them chase my tail for the rest of their lives!"
Like a great yokai, he moved through the forest at an incredible speed that did not match his large size. At the same time, he left no trace behind, like a skilled hunter. He was like a phantom tiger that silently approached and bit the throat of its prey.
'It would be great if I could catch a dragon this time. To get rid of this humiliation, I have to get back at them...'
Perhaps it was because he was so full of himself.
Whoosh—
He was a beat too late in noticing the black shadow approaching him.
'Oh? Not bad!'
Of course, it wasn't a big problem. Even with a one-breath delay, there was still an immense gap between him and his attacker.
Pa-pa-pat—!
The problem was that in that split second, a golden light burst from the hand that was holding the child of the dragon, as if it had been planned beforehand. The moment he tore apart the black dragon that was slithering through the shadows of the forest like a snake and approaching him, he felt an emptiness in the hand that had been tightly holding the girl.
"Huh?"
Dool stared blankly at his empty hand for a moment. Then he slowly looked around.
She was nowhere to be found. It was as if she had evaporated from the spot.
"How dare you!"
But he was a great yokai who had reached the realm of Transcendence. His senses, which had expanded to cover the entire forest, quickly captured the prey that was moving away and the presence of the one who had just ambushed him and distracted him.
[Kwoooong—!]
A furious roar caused a storm and an earthquake throughout the entire mountain. At this point, moving in secret was a failure. All he could do was finish the job as quickly as possible and leave before the divine beasts of Golden Crow island were dispatched to deal with him.
The next moment, he made up his mind.
Kwaaang—!
As the 5-meter-tall giant moved at supersonic speed, everything in a straight line with his goal was destroyed in an instant.
'Ah, of all times for the cooldown to hit.'
Ha Seung-hoon, who was running with Jeongal Hyemi in his arms, frowned. Who would have thought that something like this would happen in Moshan Clan, a place he thought was safe? He stopped his escape, turned around, and drew his sword. It was pointless to run any longer.
Kwaaang!
[I'll kill you! You bug-like creatures!]
The monster that had carved a great road through the forest had already come close behind him and was extending its hand.